Illuminating stories not heard in mainstream media

The Women's March on NJ was an awe inspiring event and I was very happy to witness what turned out to be 7500 people who had something to say about saving our civil rights. I have been working in media advocacy for the past ten years and I was initially somewhat ambivalent about how the event would turnout. Often it is a small group of people who make change happen. As I drove into downtown Trenton, as I have on many occasions, I noticed something different. There was a steady stream of people parking and walking to the War Memorial. As I turned the corner I saw hundreds of people standing outside, and they kept coming. Little did I know until later, the building was filled to capacity inside. I kept looking for the speakers and wondered where their voices were coming from. But, there was plenty of action outside.

As I kept walking around taking photos and video of the participants, I became immediately uplifted. All the news throughout the election campaign took a toll on me. Advocacy work is difficult at best and change takes guts and perseverance. Hearing and reading real news, fake news, "alternative facts," and the growing division between people on social media has become unbearable. The Women's March helped to bring some heart, soul and a collective voice on democracy into plain view. Being on the ground, even on a grey, drizzly day brought a sense of peace and a feeling I clearly was not alone. I was immediately engrossed in all the handmade signs and symbols people came with. This was the strongest grassroots effort I have ever seen put forth—and my favorite—from the bottom up.

Edith Savage-Jennings

”I truly hope and pray this movement today, will send a message that we no longer are going to stand for anything that’s not right…I personally know the President, don’t let him take us for granted, stand up for what you believe in, what you feel you know is right.”

Over the years as I’ve worked on advocacy for addiction, criminal justice, health and environmental issues and often feel there’s not enough support from everyday citizens. The Women’s March on NJ showed citizens—women, men, teens and kids together passionately supporting human rights. The creativity and diversity of voices spoke loud and clear. Hearing Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman brought me back to 2009 when she was NJ Assembly Majority Leader highly engaging in inclusive and democratic prison reform legislation. At that time we were all asked to do our part and I did mine. But, since then I have not found the same civic eagerness, which is what led me to create a series about civic engagement, entitledEngaging People.

This was the strongest grassroots effort I have ever seen put forth in over 10 years of media advocacy—my favorite—from the bottom up. 

I know I am in my element, as one of my friends, a colleague on criminal justice reform said, “Lori, I know you’re loving this,” adding a little emoji of a woman boxing. I have to widely praise Elizabeth Meyers who organized and coordinated the Woman’s March on NJ with a coalition of individuals and groups. It’s amazing to see a women who has the passion, energy and spirit to take on grassroots organizing at it’s best, with little past experience for managing an event as large successful as this one was.

Now, what’s even more important are the next steps—keeping up the dialogue, events and action. As Edith Savage-Jennings reminded us, ”I truly hope and pray this movement today, will send a message that we no longer are going to stand for anything that’s not right…I personally know the President, don’t let him take us for granted, stand up for what you believe in, what you feel you know is right.” She then led everyone in singing TOGETHER: Deep in my heart I believe WE SHALL OVERCOME! YES WE CAN!

Through the years I had always been curious about the Dodge Poetry Festival. The closest I got to it was while living in Hunterdon County, New Jersey when it was held in quaint Waterloo Village in Stanhope. But for one reason or another I never went. Finally, this year, on the 30th anniversary of the festival, I didn’t have to think twice about getting a four-day pass to the event. It was held in Newark at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) as well as several other venues, including two historic churches, the Newark Museum, Aljira Art Gallery and North Star Academy. At first I was worried I would have to walk all over Newark for the readings and events, but nearly all were close by, including a tent for open mic each day in Military Park. That was a thoughtful touch for people who wanted to simply test out their poetry mojo in a public space, and I watched a few people give performances there. I attended the festival for three-out-of-four days, and was somewhat disappointed on Day One, but the second and third days more than made up for it. Unfortunately, I could only speak to a few of the terrific poets, and I’m sure missed others who would have provided me with further insight into the role of poets and poetry in our society, which is the education I was seeking going into the festival.

Martin Farawell, Director of the Dodge Poetry Program asks audience to give a hand to ten poets and two musical groups at Poetry like Bread: Poems of Social and Political Consciousness.

I should be transparent right up front: all readers of this post, poets and artists alike, may find my knowledge of poetry somewhat lacking. But I do know quality and what touches me emotionally. I went to the festival with no preconceived notions of what I might find. I was concerned about whether I might become bored, bouncing around on my iPhone, and from time to time I did do that. Dodge must have realized there would be people like me and they created an app to check in, see schedules, get information about the poets, map locations, look up restaurant information, post photos, make comments and rate each session, all of which I used. The app was a closed forum and only a handful of other people posted photos, discussion, likes and comments. I wondered why Dodge spent the money on an app and didn’t just open the social media to their Facebook page instead. Nonetheless, I found myself mesmerized by the poets and words spoken. Mark Doty, Mahogany L. Brown, Juan Felipe Herrera (NJ and US Poet Laureate), Alicia Ostriker, Anne Waldman, Jane Hirshfield, Martín Espada, Tim Seibles and Claudia Rankine stood out to me because their collective voices mirrored the human condition from the past, as it exists at this moment and could be seen as through a crystal ball into the future. The festival is certainly not for the weak of heart or mind. Or, as my husband suggested, only for progressive thinkers in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall on Saturday night.

On opening day I went to several sessions. One was “Poetry and Storytelling” with Katha Pollitt who also writes for The Nation. The venue, Peddie Baptist Church, is undergoing exterior renovation, but it is just gorgeous inside. A few of the things Pollitt said resonated with me: “A poem doesn’t need to be narrative, but still needs to tell a story… and poems have a resonance with other poems, in tone, sound and images.” She spoke about poetry being “open to many interpretations” and having a sense of “ambiguity,” which confirmed my thoughts as a maker of film poems. I thought since she spoke a good deal about visuality and images she would have an interest in filmpoetry. I patiently waited for her to sign books for two young women, probably seniors in high school. After they left I asked her about filmpoetry and she said she had little to no knowledge about the subject. I explained about visual storytelling and poetry as a collaboration and I could see her eyes glaze over. I guess I’m accustomed to the online poets and mixers from Moving Poems and Poetry Storehouse who have been nothing but passionate, encouraging, and enthusiastically supportive. With that experience I decided to hang back and just listen to each session without trying to push my personal thoughts and just let things happen naturally. That worked well and the best experiences were simply led by serendipity.

Ostriker explained the poem as “a balancing act between despair and hope… We write poems for ourselves with the hope they will reach others.” Linda Gregerson said poetry is an “urgent form of sanity-making.” For me these thoughts hit right to the core of why I am so drawn to poetry. The concept of poetry as a way to “draw our dreams into daylight” and its “ability to be meditative” are ideas which make poetry so alluring to me and why I feel compelled to create filmpoems. In another forum, Elizabeth Alexander also referenced Rukeyser’s “Poem” and thought Rukeyser’s approach was to “help heal a broken society… Poets have a stable place to discuss the world and record human feeling.”

Another Poet’s Forum, Poets on Activism included Juan Felipe Herrera, Brenda Hillman, Khaled Mattawa and Anne Waldman. Waldman spoke to what she has found to be a “cognitive dissonance” in our society. As a divided nation (which is obvious to anyone in this election cycle, unless you’ve decided to hide under a rock), we are simply overwhelmed and stressed out. These poets encouraged risk-taking, collaborative work and living in a way which supports what you believe. Herrera spoke about when he first began to “stand up and project his voice” in third grade. He said his voice took shape through song, encouraged by a teacher who told him he had a beautiful voice. She was right: his voice and wonderful cadence was demonstrated beautifully on Saturday night when he enlisted a drummer from one of the music groups to accompany him on a few poems. A student asked the poet mentors a relevant question: “What is the greatest risk in activism?” Answers included, “speaking truth to power” and the “risk of being embarrassed,” but regardless, as citizens the responsibility, as Brenda Hillman stated, is to “get off your ass and do something.” I completely agree.

I lived in the first century of world wars.Most mornings I would be more or less insane,The newspapers would arrive with their careless stories,The news would pour out of various devicesInterrupted by attempts to sell products to the unseen.I would call my friends on other devices;They would be more or less mad for similar reasons.Slowly I would get to pen and paper,Make my poems for others unseen and unborn.

On Wednesday July 13, Ryan, a summer intern came into my studio and started talking about Pokémon Go and how he'd been playing for weeks. He's a wiz with technology, which probably goes without saying and he gave me a tour of the app on his iPhone. The first thing that hooked me was that it's an augmented reality game app, which really wet my appetite. The last time I played around with augmented reality was in 2010 with Second Life. I remember it was a drain on my iMac at the time, but it was interesting to walk through so many different environments and meet up with different avatars. But Pokémon Go is more interesting because it's a free-to-play location mobile game which can be played anytime anywhere.

Ryan and I talked a bit about the Pokémon brand, which I was familiar with and he pretty much grew up on. I asked what year it was developed—apparently it was the late 80s. Ryan told me there were kids out until midnight playing the game in the streets. A day earlier while I was walking my Boston Terrier I met up with my neighbor's kids, around 12 and 8 years old and the older one was holding the phone and her cousins, the twins, were excited, "We're playing Pokémon Go!!!...We have all kinds of things to find." I told them to have fun and their enthusiasm with the digital game made me smile.

After Ryan showed me the game I decided to download the app myself. It took me about 5 times to register to get a username. We were laughing that my names were already taken. I was just about losing my patience with numerous errors stated, when my username was finally accepted. In the next stage I had to sign in with my gmail credentials and I wasn't thrilled with that idea. I had to think a minute about whether I wanted to expose myself once again. As a heavy tech user, my credentials have already been breached by several supposedly well-respected companies. Ryan of course sounded like one of my students when I said I didn't like the idea of not just registering with a username and password, he said, ”At this point we’re all just making a deal with the devil..." Well I'm not fond of this thought process, especially when it comes to hacking, but I laughed and went right ahead allowing the app developed by Niantic to have access to my google account credentials. Red Flag 1. Bad idea, and I knew it at the time, but I had an itch I had to scratch.

I enjoyed choosing my avatar with purple hair, cool backpack and sleek, simple athletic outfit. The other thing is you can buy things for your avatar. Second Life was the same way. I doubt I'll be purchasing things in the app, but I can clearly see how corporations and businesses will benefit in the future from advertising and providing incentives to make their business a PokémonStop. I only wished I had used the Pokémon Go example in a Film and Media course I had been teaching weeks earlier. Instead we looked into Facebook’s user policies, which illustrated there’s very little privacy and we’ve pretty much given the rights to all our content to Facebook. Pokémon Go would have been another interesting experience had it happened during the course, especially because it’s a game.

I LOVED the app. The first day I had to do some errands. While at the grocery store I was looking at the app because I was sure there were a couple of stops where I could get some extra points. Before I asked the teenager behind the deli counter for my chicken breasts, he noticed I had the app on my screen and he asked, "Are you playing Pokémon Go?" I laughed and said yes, and he enthusiastically replied, "We're playing it back here too!” I thought I was going to die laughing. For a minute I thought I was kind of cool connecting as an adult to this young kid and thought how the app had the potential to be a great engagement tool on many levels.

On my first day I walked into a low hanging planter outside a Coldwell Banker office while I was looking down at the app. THUD!! Totally ridiculous. When the app starts up it tells you to be alert and watch where you're going. I'm an adult and I was already having problems. But, it was a lot of fun and by day 2 I had already moved to level 4. Each time I took my walk I played it and liked the idea that kids could learn a little bit of local history by going to the PokémonStops. Even though Pokémon Go could be a huge time suck, I was multi-tasking while exercising and looking forward to getting to level 5 when I could then become a trainer where the real game probably starts.

But, day 2 while playing, suddenly the app would freeze and I couldn't move my avatar. I had to restart the app and play again. I would make one play and then again it would freeze. The next morning I went for my walk and it was having some trouble recognizing stops as well as freezing my avatar. I was pissed. What the hell is wrong? I had zero patience for these errors. How could they? The final time I restarted my app I was really angry that I had a Pokémon character to capture—it was right in front of me and I couldn't move the ball. That was the last straw. I went online and read about different ways to fix the issue on an iPhone. One way was to simply remove the app and re-download it, so that's what I did. I also contacted tech support to resolve the issue and received an email back from them in a few minutes.

By July 15th Niantic Tech Support was fully aware their servers crashed, which would have been a more effective and appropriate user communication, which would have told me not to delete the app and reinstall again. In a crisis honesty is the best way to handle communication.

The tone of their email showed they couldn't care less about my problem. Their website stated that if you re-installed the app all the game information was saved online. I already had a similar experience with another app I had to reinstall, and when I signed back into the app it had all my saved data. But, once I reinstalled the Pokémon Go app there was no way to sign back in with my username. The app wanted me to register again. Red Flag 2. I googled Pokémon Go app and found out that their servers went down and it was also reported they may have been hacked by some entity named Poodlecorp.

I kept tabs on what was going on, there was quite a bit of news on Twitter, but what I realized about Niantic—the corporation itself certainly wasn't forthright in the support email I received. Clearly their roll-out of the app to other countries crashed servers, regardless of any rumor of a hack. In fact, when it was rolled out in Canada servers were down again. The corporation clearly isn't concerned or is unable to deal with crisis management. As of this writing there are still server outages everywhere. Perhaps in the end it won't matter. Once the servers are back up running everyone will still want to play the game, but it's irresponsible for Niantic (with partners Nintendo, the Pokémon Company and Google) to not to be honest and say there's a problem with the servers and app and tell their users to please be patient. Anyone can understand tech support framed in those terms.

The way Niantic handled the situation sure didn't give me confidence in them and I deleted the app immediately. Then I considered how to protect myself from the potential hack. Since I was forced to use my google credentials I changed my Google account password. One of the problems apparently with the Google registration was that unwittingly it actually forced players to allow Niantic, and potential hackers to use your account to send emails, read emails and get all data in a personal Google account. That's a severe privacy and security breach. Through my research, I found out that Google fixed the gap on day 2 of my user experience, however, again I didn't get the information directly from Niantic even saying it could be a potential problem with the fix instructions. I had to go search for it. Red Flag 3.

What I learned is Niantic isn't concerned at all about customer privacy and security issues and have no idea how to employ crisis management or solid communication practices to inform their players, or "trainers" as they call them. Perhaps youth don't care about those issues, or on the other hand, Niantic doesn’t care about young people’s privacy, but Niantic has the privilege of having a wider audience of adult users as well and they should be more serious and respectful of user's personal information. I'm sure many of the millions of young users aren't worried now. But, what about when they have enough income and property to suffer from identity fraud?

The Internet has become its own economic engine with the proliferation of new technologies and services developed with growing customers everyday as Pokémon Go illustrates. In a capitalist culture, as we move into Internet of Things (IoT), digital wallets and purchasing from mobile devices, ALL companies need to focus on the privacy and security of their users. Developers, corporations and smaller businesses owe their customers the civil right to privacy and protection, especially since entertainment and consumption seem to be more important than the public good. Consumers should demand the right to online privacy and security.

On the positive side Pokémon Go has some helpful mental health benefits to relieve everyday stress and anxiety with a fun game that gets people moving and learning. But, while we try to keep ourselves sane during a time when the media reports nonstop fear, global terrorism, gun violence and political polarization in an election year, it would be nice to not also have to worry about being hacked or having our identity stolen when downloading an app. While I understand the rollout of a new product or service has inherent risks for both parties, companies need to keep consumer privacy and security as their #1 priority. TechCrunch reports that two weeks after the US app launch, Niantic has made in excess of $35 million and surpassed Twitter and Facebook user engagement. It’s unacceptable for consumers to "make a deal with the devil" when using their hard earned money to purchase goods and services on mobile devices. These companies owe it to Americans to fix these issues and fix them fast—before they reap in millions of dollars. For now I’ve experienced one too many red flags from Niantic to download the app again. Instead I’m having fun with Dr. Driving, hoping Apple cares more about protecting my privacy and security than Niantic—but I’m not sure.

This was not a pre-packaged Havana. We got to see the real Havana—nitty-gritty-old-new-emerging-broken. I loved that. We have such a sense of experiencing the reality of Cuba, at a time when very much is changing and will change in the time ahead.

— UBELONGer, Steve

UBELONG just completed it’s first ever Expedition to Cuba and Voices of Hope Productions was there every step of the way to document the experience. It was an emotional journey I am still processing and re-living through the photography and videos as I create several pieces about Cuba. Cedric Hodgeman Co-founder of UBELONG explains their philosophy, “One of the things that’s really at the core of UBELONG is the notion that we aren’t a charity. We are way beyond the top-down model of International development where you come in and handout a lot of money and hope it solves problems. We don’t do that. When we go into a country we don’t come in as superior, we come in as equals. We are there to share and want to empower people to help them—help themselves.”

Group of UBELONGers in Cuba, with Co-founder Cedric Hodgeman on bottom right

The 9-day Expedition, which took place March 12 to March 20, 2016, was led by UBELONG Co-Founder Cedric Hodgeman and Rice University Professor Luis Duno Gottberg. 29 participants came from the Prouty Project, a leading consulting firm in Minneapolis that every other year does a “Stretch”, or service trip abroad with its employees, clients and friends.

The expedition journeyed into the heart of Cuban society. It was designed to promote cultural exchange between the team and local Cubans, and provide participants with an authentic, ground-up perspective of life in Cuba. We started in Havana and lived with host families in the traditional Vedado neighborhood. According to expedition participant, “UBELONGer”, Steve said, “This was not a pre-packaged Havana. We got to see the real Havana—nitty-gritty-old-new-emerging-broken. I loved that. We have such a sense of experiencing the reality of Cuba, at a time when very much is changing and will change in the time ahead.”

One of the things that’s really at the core of UBELONG is the notion that we aren’t a charity. We are way beyond the top-down model of International development where you come in and handout a lot of money and hope it solves problems. We don’t do that. When we go into a country we don’t come in as superior, we come in as equals. We are there to share and want to empower people to help them—help themselves.

— Cedric Hodgeman, UBELONG Co-Founder

UBELONGER, Tharangi (l) works with a Cuban man, Rene to improve his English, while she polishes her Spanish skills.

There were discussions and workshops with Cubans of all backgrounds. Team members volunteered with local artists on a community beautification project and taught English to local Cuban entrepreneurs. Luis Gottberg, who has been to Cuba many times over the last 20 years said, “The group was delightful to work with because on top of their enthusiasm for learning, they had a tremendous passion for contributing to society. I don’t think I’ve been with a group more ready to establish a respectful conversation and make an impact in a community…The Cuban families, artists, and people who were receiving the classes were constantly telling me about the quality of the people—that they were kind and how authentic they were.”

Numerous distinguished guests provided insight through group discussion, including filmmaker Miguel Coyula and the head of the World Food Program, Laura Melo. Cultural outings included visits to Old Havana, the Malecón, and a cigar factory. UBELONGer, Tanya, a PhD candidate remarked, “There is a strong feminist power in Cuba that is remarkable and inspiring to see. The women in the cigar factory illustrate roots from the US labor force. It was a way the women were able to come into the labor force by working in the factories and doing fine-skilled labor, which allowed them to gain a wage and to contribute to their families. The same is happening in the cigar factories. No matter what you think about smoking or cigars, or factory work, it’s truly a way for women to gain some power through a monetary system. It was clear from our tour guide—the men look up to the women—they are skilled and they run that factory.”

Cigar factory workers, Havana, Cuba

There is a strong feminist power in Cuba that is remarkable and inspiring to see. The women in the cigar factory illustrate roots from the US labor force. It was a way the women were able to come into the labor force by working in the factories and doing fine-skilled labor, which allowed them to gain a wage and to contribute to their families. The same is happening in the cigar factories. No matter what you think about smoking or cigars, or factory work, it’s truly a way for women to gain some power through a monetary system. It was clear from our tour guide—the men look up to the women—they are skilled and they run that factory.

— UBELONGER, Tanya

The Cuban people are very warm. My roommate, Melanie (top right) and I were walking back from a bazaar one early afternoon and I stopped to talk with Edward, who told me he worked at the church in our host neighborhood. He asked if I was American and with just enough English he invited us into his home. His wife Sared (top left, and bottom right) was sweet and they were proud to show us family photos. I found this to be an intimate experience, that also showed us how people live in Cuba—they feel safe in their community. I can't imagine an American family allowing a stranger into their home. In fact, we had a delicious glass of fresh mango juice and after about 15 minutes said goodbye to new friends.

Edward and Sared bid us an hasta la próxima (until next time)—with a kiss.

The final weekend, the team headed to Varadero, a more rural part of Cuba to take part in two days of team building activities and reflection. In line with UBELONG’s mission of promoting people-to-people dialogue, the team also put in place a plan to publicly broadcast the team’s findings over the next months. Another UBELONGer, Janis, explains, “There’s always a bridging of cultural understanding, but the bigger impact is what you share when you go home. You are going to have more conversations with a variety of people and if you can express it in a way that people can access the information your impact spreads further. Yes, there is impact while you are there, but I’m really glad to travel in a way that shares and doesn’t just take from the culture, but gives a little bit.”

The group collectively took hundreds of photographs and have numerous stories and information to share. Recently Facebook page was created to further discussion between Americans and Cubans. If you have been to Havana Cuba, or are interested in going sometime in the future, please JOIN THE FACEBOOK PAGEand contact me to connect you to UBELONG. Look for posts and video upcoming in several weeks. Until then take a look at some PHOTOS here and on Facebook.

There is a small impact made while you are there, but I’m really glad to travel in a way that shares and doesn’t just take from the culture, but gives a little bit. 

I left on a trip to Havana, Cuba with UBELONG, an International NGO, (which facilitates service learning and volunteering abroad for local development projects) on March 12th and returned on March 20th. I was there to document the journey of 30 Americans a week before President Obama’s historic visit and the Rolling Stones concert. The following are some images and my personal reflections from the trip. This is a 3-part post.

PREPARATION:

Preparation: I’d been preparing for a trip to Havana Cuba since late last year when UBELONG Co-founder, Cedric Hodgeman asked if I could document the International organization’s first journey there. UBELONG, headquartered in Washington DC, is a learning organization which brings people together for authentic, on the ground experiences in countries across the world.

I'd been yearning to be part of a UBELONG trip because I feel people-to-people exchanges help us bridge the socio-political gap and reach right into the hearts, minds and ideas of people around the world to make connections that go beyond a simple media soundbyte. While 9 days in Cuba, or any other culture is not really long enough to go deep, I had numerous emotionally touching experiences, both with the Cuban people I met on the journey, as well as my traveling comrades.

30 Americans, (including me-taking the photo) journeyed to Cuba a week prior to President Obama's historic trip to Cuba. The group was mainly from from the Prouty Project, a top strategic consulting firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cedric Hodgeman, UBELONG's co-founder is at bottom right.

Early on in Havana I got solid advice from a colleague originally from Sri Lanka who has incredible cultural sensitivity. She told me to simply remain open. Great advice.

We were hosted in Cuban homes, ate meals with Cuban families, hobbled through Spanish and English exchanges and where possible spoke about what President Obama’s trip to Cuba meant to them. I documented several conversations with Cubans as well as my colleagues on the trip. It was an emotional and intellectual journey where we learned how the embargo has affected Cubans and considered opportunities to forge US and Cuban relations with a positive impact on both American and Cuban citizens in the future.

MEDIA: I had also been looking forward to comparing and contrasting what I learned in Cuba with US television news and media. At first I saw places where I had shot and spoken with people myself. But, to my surprise President Obama only visited for two days and the second day was abruptly co-opted by news about terror attacks in Brussels. The brief media event focused very little time on life in Havana and even less perspective on how President Obama's trip impacted Cuban citizens during his time there. That makes me really wish I was still there to hear their thoughts. Since I've been back many people ask if Cuba was safe. Yes, very.

Since my return many people ask me if Cuba is safe. Yes, very.

CUBAN PEOPLE: WARM AND HAPPY. I found Cubans to be warm, happy and strong people—especially the women—despite infrastructure challenges, crumbling roads, sidewalks and buildings in their communities. In most of the communities I visited whether by foot, vehicle or horse and carriage ride (a never to be forgotten experience of pure joy with some new friends it was hard to see there would be one or two homes which were completely renovated and incredibly beautiful, amidst the cracks and crumbles. I never considered where Cubans got their goods, but while washing dishes in the host home one day, I turned a dish around and noticed a China stamp on the bottom. There were a few other decorations which appeared to be made in China, as well. I was also surprised when our host, Mary took out a Samsung tablet and started showing us family pictures. So while there's poverty in Cuba, there are people in industries who are doing better financially andwhile they have a more austere way of living, they still keep a warm and clean home. If you go to Cuba, consider staying with a host family instead in a hotel. Not only will your stay be more authentic, but you can give money that goes directly to the Cuban people. I found our accommodations to be a special gift and wouldn’t hesitate do it again.

PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONNECTIONS: Early on in Havana I got solid advice from a colleague originally from Sri Lanka who has incredible cultural sensitivity. She told me to simply remain open. Great advice. You may wonder what that means exactly, but Cuban people just walked right up to me and started talking. They usually asked if I was American and a discussion ensued with me speaking English and a tiny bit of Spanish and them, vice versa. My first emotionally charged experience came out of nowhere when our group was touring a cigar factory, where I met Barbara.

Barbara worked at the cigar factory store in Havana and was supervising bathroom use. While others were in a frenzy buying cigars and rum, I was having a conversation in broken English and Spanish, which was the first and one of the most touching experiences I've had talking with a stranger in a foreign country. We ended our conversation with an embrace, one I will never forget.

Barbara is a tiny, very thin woman who was supervising the bathroom at the back of the cigar factory store. At the time, while the store was packed with a long line to the cashier, I was just roaming around gazing at the bottles of rum, looking at framed photos of cigar labels and checking out other Cuban products. I’m sure I just smiled at Barbara and said "Ola..." andunexpectedly we started hobbling through a conversation in the bathroom corridor. But, it was incredible. First she asked if I was American, then she used a pictionary approach (illustrating a pregnant stomach) and tried to explain that her son is living in Miami, Florida. I was born in Miami and tried to say her son was probably doing well. My guess is she was telling me she worried and thought about him often. But, she kept smiling and we both laughed. Our conversation ended with her warmly touching my arm and hugging me. Our embrace told me I made a friend in Cuba, right there in a place where thousands probably visited each week. I ran into the same colleague and explained what happened—suddenly tears were running down my face. I was very touched by the pure connection and exchange, and of course my colleague responded with a huge smile and laugh, "See, I told you!" That personal experience was one of many, at least one or two per day that continued throughout the trip.

Barbara used a pictionary approach to illustrate a pregnant stomach, trying to convey that her son was living in Miami. I tried to explain I was born in Miami and said that I thought her son was doing just fine there. Somehow we just laughed and bonded through the conversation.

George Orwell said: “We sleep safely in our beds because rough men (and women) stand ready in the night to visit violence on those that would do us harm.” But then who then stands ready to take care of those same men and women upon their return when they are all too often disabled, disillusioned, or disheartened?

Playing card "Ace of Hearts" from 52 Reasons to Love a Vet illustrated by Joe Ciardiello

I was recently listening to All Things Considered on National Public Radio (NPR) about how soldiers were discharged for misconduct due to mental illness. One particular soldier shared his innermost fears and was considering suicide, but his therapists had a lack of empathy about his needs. Feeling as if this type of treatment wasn't fair and certainly wasn't lessening his depression, Eric James began secretly recording his sessions with behavioral health specialists and shed a light on a big problem with the military kicking soldiers out of service, denying them their rightful benefits, including providing treatment for mental health disorders, post traumatic distress, brain injuries, or other medical issues.

This Veterans Day, consider what it feels like to be a veteran and how as citizens it is our responsibility to support them in their time of need, as they continue to support us in Iraq, Afghanistan and here in the United States.

Due to the NPR reporting, a group of 12 U.S. senators is calling on the Army to investigate the discharges of tens of thousands of soldiers dismissed for misconduct. According to a November 4th NPR follow-up article, “The senators say this violates the intent of a 2009 law that Congress passed to ensure troops who returned from wars with mental health disorders were not discarded without being evaluated.”

Flashback sequences in film poem Fatigue, speak to the health care needs of Veterans when they return home from duty.

THE FILM "FATIGUE"This story brought me back to "Fatigue,” a film poem I created years ago from the perspective of a soldier looking through a target viewfinder. The film was shot at Fort Hancock, a government owned recreational park on Sandy Hook, a 7-mile barrier reef in New Jersey overlooking New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. Today, the landscape is one of “fun-in-the sun” where huge cruise ships and shipping carriers make their way out to the main channel of the Atlantic Ocean. In the late 1800s up to the 1960's, Fort Hancock was a critical coastal artillery base, where currently all the remnants of aged war technology—nike missiles, disappearing gun batteries, anti-aircraft missiles and huge artillery shells are fully in public view. On one of my many visits, I recorded a child repeating the words on a poster, "If it flies, it dies." The film's flashback sequences capture the essence of what a war-torn and emotionally distraught soldier might encounter in the name of protecting US citizens.

This short film poem was shot at Fort Hancock in Sandy Hook, NJ to capture the essence of what a war-torn and emotionally distraught soldier might go through in the name of protecting United States citizens.

52 REASONS TO LOVE A VETA recent response to the growing neglect of our country’s veterans, “52 Reasons to Love a Vet” was conceived and curated by my good friend Ella Rue, who was appalled that the Veterans Affairs Hospital (VA) discharged her son while in quarantine with open MRSA wounds. The New Jersey VA falsely informed the family that they were not responsible for his care and suggested this soldier find private health care coverage. After personally securing health care for her son to ensure his safety and well-being, it occurred to Ella and her husband Bob that there are thousands of returning men and women who fall through the cracks—denied the services they are promised and are legally entitled to.

To initiate a dialogue for policy change, Ella brought together 19 world-renowned artists, illustrators and designers to create editorial illustrations addressing concerns related to the military, veterans and/or thoughts on patriotism. The art is currently on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum, in Stockbridge MA and will tour galleries, museums, and colleges and universities with the intention of education people of all ages about the need for supporting the physical and emotional needs of veterans when they return home. Decks of traditional playing cards, signed prints and books are available for sale, with the funds going to a 501c3 fund specifically to assist veterans with educational and health related needs.

King of Hearts, illustrated by Mike Wimmer, exhibited at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts, as part of the 52 Reasons to Love a Vet project.

This Veterans Day, consider what it feels like to be a veteran and how as citizens it is our responsibility to support them in their time of need, as they continue to support us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and here in the United States. If our country has money to engineer and develop new stealth bombers to the tune of $21.4 billion, then the military should also take care of the men and women who put their lives at risk every day, many who come home in desperate need of healthcare and the benefits they surely deserve.